PNG soldiers join RAMSI

By Neville Togarewa

ABOUT 30 Papua New Guinea Defence Force soldiers left for Sydney on Friday to do their one-month pre-deployment training before they are deployed as members of the PNG Kumul Force to Honiara to serve for four months as PNG’s contribution to RAMSI – Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands.

They were farewelled at Port Moresby’s Jackson’s airport by the PNGDF commander Brig-Gen Francis Agwi; Chief of Land Operations Col Walter Enuma; Defence Secretary John Porti; Brendan Sargeant, Deputy Secretary, Strategic, Department of Defence, Australia; the commander of the 3rd Brigade, royal Australian Regiment based in Townsville, Brig-Gen Shane Caughey; other senior officers of the PNGDF and ADF; and Australian High Commission officials.

Brig-Gen Agwi told the soldiers they were part of an important regional mission and urged them to give their best during their deployment by being good ambassadors for Papua New Guinea.

Sgt Maraha Wari, 46, married with four children, from Taruba village, Rigo in Central Province, is a veteran of the Kumul Force in the Solomon Islands.

He has been deployed seven times as a member of Kumul Force to RAMSI and this will be his eight deployment out of a total 16 PNGDF deployments since PNG started contributing to the regional peace-keeping initiative.

“I am the platoon sergeant of Bravo Company of 1RPIR (First Royal Pacific Islands Regiment) and my men and I will be serving under our Platoon Commander second lieutenant Joshua Dorpa,” Sgt Wari said before they departed for Sydney.

He said he and his comrades would do one-month pre-deployment training at Randwick military barracks in Sydney before flying to Honiara.

“It’s a challenge to all of us so we must do well as a team. We are all looking forward to our mission to achieve good results and come back home as a team. We are all ambassadors of Papua New Guinea,” Sgt Wari said.
He said as infantry soldiers, they would work under the command and control of the Solomon Islands police.

“We will be looking after Government installations, help Solomon Islands Police and the (Australian) Federal Police on beat patrols, do riot training and dispersal of demonstrators,” Sgt Wari said.

Asked if they would be deployed anywhere else apart from Honiara, he said they would be working mainly in Honiara, but they may be called out to Malaita or elsewhere in Solomon Islands, depending on the country’s needs.